Leadership vs Management
Leadership is on everyone's lips. No wonder, because we live in times that are characterized by massive changes, The current situation is characterized by increasing crises and ever more complex challenges. Both in everyday life and in business, people are longing for orientation, clear communication and transparent decisions. These are just three success factors of leadership. Before we delve a little deeper into the topic, let's first take a look at what exactly is behind the term. Leadership and management are often used interchangeably, but they are two completely different disciplines.
Leadership definition
According to the online library Wikipedia is leadership as „[...] both a field of study and a practical skill that encompasses the ability of an individual, group or organization to lead, influence or guide other individuals, teams or entire organizations.„
So far, so good. But I am this definition nor is it sufficiently aligned with the needs of a modern society and future-oriented organizations. Leadership is the art of leading, inspiring and empowering. Despite this, the terms leadership and management are still mixed up today. This is a fatal mistake, because not every manager (m/f/d) is also a leader and not every leader is also a manager. My definition of leadership is therefore as follows:
Leadership is the ability to give a group of people a (new) vision and direction so that they can identify with the goal and attitude in an activating way. A good leader (m/f/d) is not only able to formulate this vision attractively in language, but also to fill it with values and convictions and - the most important prerequisite of all - to exemplify it through their own actions.
From this definition you can see that leadership is both an attitude, as well as being a very practical skill.
Management definition
Management on the other hand, can be defined as follows:
Management is the ability to steer, control and optimally deploy the people, processes and resources involved within a group, team or organization on the basis of established values, beliefs and rules.
Do you recognize the difference? While management focuses primarily on the efficient administration and control of the status quo, leadership is all about communicating visions, goals and objectives. Values, as well as the enthusiasm of the people involved for the joint implementation. And now comes a crucial sentence: both management and leadership are extremely important skills, and one is usually completely ineffective without the other. However, it is only in combination that both qualities can unfold their magical effect. If a manager possesses both strong leadership and management qualities, there is a very high probability that they will be able to achieve above-average success with their team.
What is leadership: leadership in transition
In times of Shift the topic of leadership has also changed dramatically in recent years. Gone are the days of hierarchical, patriarchal leadership style, which was primarily based on pressure, status and position. Today, no one voluntarily follows people who do not communicate, keep information to themselves and hide behind their desks in huge offices. Modern leaders, on the other hand, place trust, empowerment and strong communication at the heart of everything they do. Or to summarize: The traditional boss is out, the modern leader is in. I have tried to summarize the differences between these two types in the following graphic.
Please note that I have opted for the extreme positions in each case, and in reality they are mostly intermediate shades, but I think the main idea should have become clear, shouldn't it? This now leads to three conclusions for modern leadership.
Leadership German: An important service
Yes, you read that right. Leadership is a service. For your team. For your employees. For the people in your area of responsibility. And I am aware that this is a very controversial statement. No other sentence in my presentations triggers resistance as often as this one. And yet it cannot be denied: leadership today has one main task. To create a (working) atmosphere that is characterized by trust, respect and appreciation, so that every single team member enjoys their work and can deliver the best possible performance.
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Leadership is co-creation
Long gone are the days when leadership was exclusively top-down. You know, someone (usually an older gentleman) made a decision and decided what to do or not to do from now on. And the rest of the organization then implemented this decision more or less enthusiastically. Usually it was less rather than more. The result: frustration, a culture of fear and a generally bad atmosphere.
So is the solution consistent bottom-up communication, i.e. initiating change from the bottom up? No, of course not. Because hierarchies are of course still important today. That's why leadership today is characterized by co-creation. Every single person - regardless of their hierarchical position - must practice ownership in their individual area of responsibility and Changes on a small scale. Why? Because this is the only way to achieve overall success as a team.
Leadership is an attitude
And last but not least, leadership is above all a mindset, a special mentality. This also means that you don't need titles, positions or fancy-sounding job titles to be a leader. If you have any of these, it helps of course, but the attitude behind them is much more important. By this I mean above all a general openness to new ideas, enthusiasm, clarity and willingness, Decisions want to meet.
Leadership skills of modern leadership
Yes, leadership is more than just giving instructions and being right just because you have one more star on your shoulder. Above all, leadership is a very special inner attitude. And if you have this Leader mindset combine them with the right skills, then people will follow them. And not because they are forced to or because they have to, but because they really want to. I would therefore like to highlight what I consider to be the three most important characteristics of modern leaders.
Trust
Probably the most important quality of all is trust. Because trust is the foundation for everything. Without trust, there is no leadership, no Transformation, no positive corporate culture and no team spirit. And even more importantly: nothing motivated People as much as the feeling that you trust them.
Transparency
When you communicate with radical transparency and share your ideas, knowledge and KPIs, you ensure that a team becomes one. Because everyone has the feeling of belonging, there is no „secret“ information and no special groups.
Empathy
I am aware that many people still think that empathy is a sign of weakness. But that couldn't be more wrong. Empathy means empowering the people around you. Your Values, We want to understand your background, experience and individual goals while ensuring that you are keen to be part of the team.
Leadership and change go hand in hand
If these 3 factors become the DNA of your leadership culture, then Shift suddenly no longer a threat, but a wonderful opportunity to improve and actively take the future by the horns. Because suddenly people no longer have to, they want to. After all, change and leadership go hand in hand. It's not for nothing that the truism goes: „The fish always stinks from the head first.“ And of course this also applies in the opposite direction. When modern leadership is not just a hollow phrase, but a philosophy that is put into practice, then sustainable change suddenly becomes much easier.
Would you agree with me? Then I look forward to your comment.
Oh yes, of course there is also a suitable lecture on the subject of „Leading Change„.
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